Forecast calls for 80s, 90s in Western Washington

SEATTLE — The weather that Western Washington residents dream about through the damp gray days of winter is finally here.

The forecast promises a dry, sunny weekend with high temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Then, Northwesterners could have a couple of days where they can join the rest of the West in complaining about the heat.

Record temperatures in the 90s are possible in places Monday and Tuesday, the National Weather Service office in Seattle said.

The record for July 1 at Sea-Tac Airport is 87 degrees, set most recently in 1995. And the record for July 2 is 92, set in 1968. The temperatures for both days “have a shot” of setting new records, said meteorologist Chris Burke.

A 90-degree day in Seattle is rare, but not unheard of.

“We don’t get to 90 degrees every year, but most years we do,” he said Friday.

Temperatures east of the Cascades will be even hotter, as they usually are, with weekend highs in the 80s and 90s, possibly breaking 100 on Monday and Tuesday.

In Spokane, temperatures in the 90s are expected Saturday and Sunday during the Hoopfest 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The event is expected to draw 28,000 players and up to 200,000 people downtown. They are being warned to drink plenty of fluids to avoid heat-related problems.